Body/Mind Perspective – Tadasana

Mountain Pose – Tadasana

1)  Stand with your feet hip distance apart, parallel.  Lift and spread your toes and the balls of your feet, then lay them softly down on the floor.  Feel all four corners of your feet.

2)  Firm your thigh muscles and lift the knee caps.  Lift the inner ankles to strengthen the inner arches and turn the upper thighs slightly inward. Lengthen your tailbone toward the floor and lift the pubis toward the navel.

3)  Press your shoulder blades together and release them down your back. Without pushing your lower front ribs forward, lift the top of your sternum straight toward the ceiling. Widen your collarbones. Hang your arms with palms facing your side beside the torso.

4)  Balance the crown of your head directly over the center of your pelvis, with the underside of your chin parallel to the floor, throat soft, and the tongue wide and flat on the floor of your mouth. Soften your eyes.

5)  Stay in the pose for 30 seconds to 1 minute, breathing easily.

Tadasana is usually the starting position for all standing poses and Sun Salutations. Watch in next month’s Body Moves for the next step in a beginner Sun Salutation.  I will be covering the entire sequence over the next several months.

Benefits of Tadasana

* Improves posture

* Strengthens thighs, knees, and ankles

* Firms abdomen and buttocks

* Relieves sciatica

* Reduces flat feet